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Oakland County To Hold ‘Pics Of The Park’ Photo Contest With Guest Judge Grammy-Winner Tony Bennett

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OAKLAND COUNTY (WWJ) — Planning a trip to an Oakland County Park this holiday weekend? Be sure to bring your camera!

The Oakland County Parks foundation is hosting a photo exhibition and your work could end up being part of a photo exhibit slated for this fall with a celebrity judge.

Linda Solomon, Photo Contest Director and Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame Member is behind this year’s contest and gave some pointers to aspiring photographers who may be looking at competing in the contest.

“I think time of day is key,” Solomon said. “For the holiday weekend it’s a great time to go out early in the morning to one of the Oakland County parks and shoot with morning light, or, I like shooting in the later part of the afternoon — we call it the twilight hour, the magical hour. I think moving closer to the subject [will help] — sometimes we always stand a little further back, even with people.”

Noted performer and visual artist and humanitarian Tony Bennett will select the grand prize winner. Bennett, a 17-time Grammy winner with millions of albums sold worldwide is also an accomplished painter and supporter of the arts, and in particular arts education.

Individuals are limited to three submissions which must be taken at the Oakland County Parks. The entry fee is $15 per image for the contest which runs through September 13.

“We will select first, second and third place winners in each category and plan to announce surprise prizes every 13 days, in keeping with the 13 parks theme, on DestinationOakland.com. Keep checking the website for updates on the opportunity to showcase your beautiful pictures of the parks,” Soloman said.

“There isn’t a day when I don’t appreciate something. Because of my love of photography it allows you to see life, not just look at life,” Solomon said.

The grand prize-winning photo will appear on the cover of the 2014 Oakland County Parks Annual Report.

The top 250 entries — 50 from each category — will be displayed at the Somerset Collection in Troy for two weeks following an awards reception for the winners.